Troy Stecher Is Making $1.35 Million: So Why Does NHL Life

Troy Stecher is making $1.35 million this season. So, before anybody starts feeling too sorry for him, let's get that out of the way. That's a pretty good living. Most people would be thrilled to make that much money over several lifetimes, never mind one hockey season.

But there's something about Stecher's NHL life that still makes you feel for the guy. Not because he's a victim. He's not. He's a professional hockey player with a long career. But he's also a guy who has spent a lot of that career wondering where he's going to be playing next, whether he's wanted and whether he's done enough to stick around.

That's a very human problem.

Stecher Just Wants to Belong Somewhere.

Stecher has become one of those NHL players who keeps finding himself in between places. He's experienced the trades, the moves and the uncertainty that come with being a depth defenceman in a league where jobs can disappear pretty quickly.

And now he's with the Maple Leafs, trying to carve out a place again. There's an interesting irony in that. He's making $1.35 million, so it's not exactly time to pass the hat around. But money doesn't make the question disappear. Does the team want me here? That's something most working people understand.

Maybe the stakes are different when your job is playing hockey in front of 20,000 people. Sure, the paycheque is considerably better. But the basic feeling isn't all that different. You want to know that the people signing your cheques think you're worth keeping around. And Stecher has had to deal with that uncertainty over and over again.

There's a Family Behind the Hockey Player.

Then there's the part that makes this story more interesting. Stecher's wife is a nurse, and his hockey career means the family has had to move around with him. That's not a small thing. A professional hockey career isn't just about a player packing a bag and showing up in another city.

There's a spouse. There's a career. There's a home to find. There's a life to rebuild. Again, nobody is suggesting this is some great NHL tragedy. The Stechers are fortunate. Very fortunate. But they're still a family trying to make a life while one person's career can change their address at any moment.

That's what makes Stecher's situation interesting to me. He's not looking for sympathy. He's trying to keep his job.

Maybe That's Why Fans Can Relate to Stecher.

Most of us will never make $1.35 million playing hockey or doing anything else. But most of us know what it's like to wonder whether the place where we work really wants us.

Stecher just happens to be asking that question while wearing a Maple Leafs jersey. And, yes, he's making $1.35 million while he does it. There's the irony.